Weakest Shade of Yellow
by M14Mouse
Summary: Chip knows it.  He can tell by their concern looks.  He can tell by the way they avoid touching him.  They never need to say it out loud.  He knows he is the weakest one.  He has the bruises to prove it.


Weakest Shade of Yellow

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Chip knows it. He can tell by their concern looks. He can tell by the way they avoid touching him. They never need to say it out loud. He knows he is the weakest one. He has the bruises to prove it.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Theme for 30kisses challenge: 5. Hey, you know….

Takes Place During Dark Wish

Chip Thorn knew it. He can tell by their concern looks. He can tell by the way they avoid touching him when he wore long sleeves. He can tell by the way the casual way they asked if he taken his Tylenol because he moved a little too slow for their tastes. He could tell by the way they tell him to relax and don't over work himself. Of course, they never need to say it out loud because they are his friends. In the back of his mind, he already knew that he is the weakest one. He has the bruises to prove it.

He didn't notice it at first. He was too excited about being a power ranger. Come on, it was coolest thing since…Spiderman becoming a movie. And he could do magic! Magic! Not in his wildest dreams that he could image him having magic. It was….was…awesome! He could wave his wand and poof! Stuff happened! Okay…sometimes, there are spell codes involved. Still neat stuff! And without the wand, he could make his hand glow like a light bulb. He would never have to use a flashlight again. Well, maybe not with the horses, he spooked them with his glowing hand thing. He can turn on anything electronic without touching it. It really confused his poor cousin when the television suddenly turned on when he entered the room.

Really neat stuff…until the bruises began to stay around a lot longer than they should. His ribs were a little sorer than everyone else. In a fight, he began move slower than everyone. Slowly, his wardrobe become to be replaced with yellow long sleeves t-shirts, hoodies, and sweaters. Just so he could cover up the bruises. Then the comments from his family started to roll in.

"Why are you wearing that shirt, son? It is 90 degrees outside."

"Cousin Chip can't move that fast. He has a big boo-boo on his back."

"Chip…what is wrong with your leg? You are limping."

"Cousin Chip…come on! Get out of bed! You promise to play with us! You can't be that sore!"

He got really good with the lies too. Oh, Toby really turned up the AC. Or he tripped and landed on his back. Or he just twisted his ankle funny on a rock. Or Xander made him lift a few heavy things. Lie after lie…it just kept piling up and he hated it. When his friends start question that, he knew it was the truth. He came a little bit early to Rootcore than he originally planned and he overheard Nick and Vida talking.

"How's Chip?" Nick said.

"He's fine. Why do you ask?" Vida said.

"I need you…to start watch his back more," he said.

"Really now?" she said. He could almost see the smirk on her face which caused him to blush.

"Not that way! This is serious. I'm worried. It takes him longer to heal than everyone else, V," he said.

"Listen, Chip can take care of himself. He doesn't need anyone watching his back. He has saves ours plenty of times," she said angrily.

"Vida, you don't get it. Do you want Chip to spot another bruise bigger than a basketball? That is what is happening right now. Toby is starting to ask questions."

"I don't. And I don't think watching his back is the answer. Chip may get more bruises than us but he pick himself off the ground every single time. He never gives up. He never quits. Can you say the same?"

He knew this wasn't going too turned out good. He ran over to the dragon's head and started to knock. The dragon's head started to open and he shouted out.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" He said as he entered the main area.

"Nothing much…Nick was just leaving," Vida said coldly.

"Just think about what I said, okay? Seeya around," Nick said as he left. Vida just stared at Nick as he left. She turned around and smiled at him. He saw something in her eyes. Maybe, she did believed what Nick said. If V believed in what Nick said, surely the others believed him too.

He sighed.

Why do all of the depressing thoughts come when you are lying in your bed? Why couldn't they come when he was in a middle of a test or something?

Maybe, it was because he really liked to remove his shirt right now but he was too sore to do so. The monsters really did a number on him today. Once again, he was the only who look like a giant bruise.

Wonderful….maybe, if he moved to his side, he could move his arm under his shirt.

Maybe, he should just sleep in clothes tonight. Yes, he believed that is a wonderful idea.

The morpher went off and his hands scrambled to find it. Where is the damn thing? He found it in his pants pocket. He is hoping it is just one of his friends calling and not an emergency.

"Hey," he said with a yawn.

"Hey, Chip. It is V," Vida said.

"Hey…what can I do for you?" he said sleepily.

"Nothing much. Just checking how my favorite person is doing."

"I feel like the coyote in those roadrunner episodes," He said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hurt a lot, huh?"

"I can feel my hands and some parts of my feet but the rest of my body…uhh…probably under a rock somewhere." He said. He heard her chuckling over the line.

"Well, I could come over and help you out."

"I will probably be asleep by then. I'm hoping my super hero powers will kick in and start healing. If not, the next monster could use me as a step stool."

"I doubt that. I will kick the monster's ass if that happens."

"Thanks, V," he said. Silence fell between them for a moment. The question that has been nagging him came to the surface. A question he really didn't want to ask but he knew V would answer it. Later, he could blame it on his lack of sleep.

"V….am I the weak one?" he said cautiously.

"Excuse me?" she said in surprise.

"Am I the weak one of the team? Tell me honestly," He said with a sigh.

"You aren't weak one of the team, Chip. You just get hurt more than everyone else. It has nothing to do with being weak!"

"But…" he said.

"But nothing. You are the smart one. I would still be a vampire without you. Nick will be trap in a dimension somewhere. Fireheart would have still been in the box. You throw your entire heart into the fight. When you are hurt, you pick yourself up and fight. I don't see that from Nick or Xander unless they are piss or get their butts handed to them," She said angrily.

"V…Thanks." He said with a sigh.

"Chip…," she said softly.

"I am fine, V. I'm sorry for the silly question. It is probably my ribs speaking. Good night." He said.

"Good night, Chip," She said then the phone went dead.

"Wonderful…it really must be the ribs speaking. I am not going to hear the end of it tomorrow," He said to himself.

Maybe, he should try to remove his shirt again. He tried to lift his arm but a sharp pain traveled through his arm and quickly he put it back down.

Stick to the original plan, Chip. No removing the clothes tonight. He sighed as he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

It could have been a few minutes or a few hours but he heard something. He groaned to himself. He hoped it isn't his cousin with another nightmare. He doesn't think he could move to her room tonight. Then he felt something brush against and gently kiss his forehead. He opened his eyes to see Vida standing over him.

"Hello, it is your unfriendly neighborhood pink ranger here to see you." She said with a grin.

"V…what are you doing here? You need to be in bed too," he said sleepy.

"I am in a bed now, aren't I? Beside, I came to cheer up you," she said.

"I don't need cheering up, V."

"HA! You sounded like your favorite comic book got canceled over the phone," She said with a grin.

"Come on. I am tired. Give a guy credit for not dying on you after today," he said. She chuckled as she lied down next to him.

"Ahh…poor baby," She said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"V…"

"Sleep, Chip. You can argue with me tomorrow." She said as she curled up next to him. He sighed softly and he closed his eyes. He leaned his head on her shoulder. He was too tired to argue…even if he wanted too. V would make sure he was asleep one way or another.

"Hey, you know that you aren't the weak one," She said softly into his ear.

"I know…I just feel like I am sometimes." He said.

"Well…we are all going to have moments like that. I did when I turned vampire. I am sure that Maddie felt the same way when she got turn into stone. I know Xander felt the same when he almost turned into a tree. Just don't let it bug you…okay?" she said.

He was too tired to analyze what she said. He was thankful enough that she was here and trying to cheer him up.

"Thanks…V," he said with a sleepy smile.

"Good…now…sleep," She said.

"Who am I to argue?" he said with a yawn. He closed his eyes and a few seconds later, he was asleep.

The End

A/N: Damn Dark Wish for this idea. ::grumbles.:: Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. And as always…Read and Review if you wish.


End file.
